I can't
say as The Beatles in the famous ode to Penny Lane that Weesp is in my ears
and in my eyes. Nor can I say that I see Weesp with the eyes of a beardless boy,
who probably thinks that the best of being a “Weesper Mop” (I) is that it only
takes 15 to 20 minutes to get to the sparkling lights of busy Amsterdam. But what I
can say is that I over the recent years have become more and more fond of Weesp
with its quiet charm, its small bridges and its picturesque canals. And I can
say that more and more often Weesp is in my thoughts - How is the weather there!-
How is the colour of the leaves! - And when will I be bicycling along the
beautiful canals again.

A
picture of Kippenbrug – Summer 2009

Weesp
has become a pleasant part of my life and every time I'm on a car holiday it's
only natural to take a couple of nights stay in the local and only hotel in Weesp. It is no longer a question whether we shall stay in Weesp - only when and
for how long.

A
picture taken from the center of the old town – Summer 2009

But
what gets a Dane to drive for the most of 9 hours - depending on the traffic near
Hamburg in Germany - and almost 800 kilometres to a small town like Weesp, which
presumably not many people outside the Netherlands has ever heard of? What can Weesp
offer that very few other cities can't?

The picture down
under is from

Buitenveer

The picture to the
left is from

Ossenmarkt

The picture to the
right is from Utrechtseweg

The pictures are
from the old part of the town or very near by - Late summer 2010

There
are many cities in Denmark which are just as picturesque as Weesp and all of
them much closer to where I live. Many of them have the same small town
quietness as Weesp and there are several cities both in Denmark and in the
Netherlands
which are more famous for whatever reasons tourists finds attractive - but none
of them have the same charm as Weesp - for all I know. But what is it then?
What is it that attracts me so much? - And the answer is! - It’s the water
running everywhere – in canals, along roads and under the bridges.

The
bridge near the fort on
the way to
s-Gravelandseweg - Spring 2009

In
Denmark we have a very long coastline
- roughly 7,000 km - Water is not a rare thing and absolutely not a
rare sight for a Dane, but it's almost all along the costs. We only have very
few canals and not like the ones in Weesp and that’s the difference. To me it's
not a everyday sight to se boats passing by my window and to se the bridges open
one after the other. That's what I love to see in the old part of the town.
But it's not it all. I love to ride my bike along the river Vecht and see the
everyday activity on my way. The inhabitants of Weesp seem to enjoy riding
their bikes and enjoying outdoor activities when the weather is at it's best – and
that is what I like too. Everywhere you see people on bikes, on skateboards and
in all kinds of boats. After work it seems like all the good citizens of Weesp like to
take a ride to Hilversum and back again just for fun - And who can
blame them!

A view
from the
Hotel Het Hart Van Weesp -
Summer 2007

The
local hotel - Hotel Het Hart Van Weesp -
is not a fancy five star ISO certified place for rich tourists and busy
ambitious general directors. If anything it's a “good value for money hotel” and
a place where the warm welcome and the friendly
atmosphere is one of the major assets and I don't think the owner gives much
interest in ISO certifications or modern
profit maximization models.

Hotel Het Hart Van Weesp - aug. 2014

I think he likes his dogs which you have to straddle over on your way to the
dining-room and I think he likes his funny pictures of Che
Guevara smoking Havana cigars and playing baseball. I don’t know why he keeps
the pictures on the wall, though – But maybe his favourite uncle was fighting
in the mountains together with Che and Castro – or maybe he is a big fan of Che - or maybe
he's just fond of Cuba, big Havana cigars and baseball. I don’t now - but
whatever it is - it's fine with me – I like to stay there (II).

“The
Cuban Galleri”
Hotel Het Hart Van Weesp –
Spring 2007

Every
time we arrive at the local hotel we hurry to check in and to bring the luggage
to our room. After that we can do what it’s all about - driving our bikes
around in the beautiful neighbourhood. Through the small cosy roads in the old
centre of the town it goes to s-Gravelandseweg along the river Vecht and into the
beautiful landscape they call 'Het Gooi'.

A
picture taken from the centrum of the old town – Summer 2009

Click on the
3 pictures to enlarge them.

Small houses along
Utrechtseweg near the river Vecht - Late
Summer 2010.

Along
s-Gravelandseweg you can - among other interesting things - see some of the
bunkers
from
the Fieldstronghold Uitermeer defence line.(III). The bunkers are remains from World War II. If you are interested
in things like that there is a lot of fortresses and bunkers in the area and if
you have access to Google Earth you can spot them all from the air.

Bunkers from World War II - Spring 2007

No
more war talk - The area is beautiful and rich on birds, frogs and other
animals and on the way you can often see people with expensive Karl Zeiss monoculars, Hasselblad cameras or other birdwatcher equipment.

If I'm
not mistaken it's a couple of gees – Spring 2007

For those who prefer fishes to birds -
fishing seems to be a well known sport or a
pastime. I haven’t seen any fish though, but the fishermen I have seen look
content - so why don't you try it?

Summer 2010

Maybe
the fishing-expeditions is just a good excuse for being together with a good friend or
two.

Hilversum

Although this site is an ode to the beautiful town Weesp I can’t help telling
you about a small B & B in Hilversum. To me there is not much to say of interest
about Hilversum. To most people the place is known as the media centre in the
Netherlands and for the
assassination of Pim Fortuyn, a controversial politician. But to me the most
important thing is, that the town has the finest bed and
breakfast place I have ever visited. The name is 'Het Atelier'(IV)
and
the owners are a very fine and helpful couple. There names are
Jon and Jeroen Brands. Normally I would never
recommend anything outside Weesp – of cause, but these fine people deserve it.
They have put a lot of heart into the B & B, they are very helpful and they
takes good care of there guests. Try it and you won’t regret it - and another
important thing………..It’s only approximately 15 kilometres from the beautiful
town Weesp.

The
'Het Atelier'
is in their backyard -
but you have your own entrance - Summer 2005

A delicious breakfast in the 'Het
Atelier'

The picture above
is borrowed from Jon and Jeroen Brands
website after agreement.

The
'Het Atelier'
- Summer 2005

Now back to Weesp and
their beautiful boats.

As
you can see below you can find all kinds of boats - and that is only a small selection. I can sit for hours at the
river bank watching the boats and ships passing by. It's a peaceful experience
and good for the soul.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Pictures
of boats - Weesp 2005 - 2007

First time in the air 28th December 2007

Notes:

A “weesper mop”. To explain that is a little complicated but I asked one of
the locals and got the answer below:

A
citizen from Weesp is officially a 'Weesper' (male) or 'Weespse' (female).
'Weesper Mop' is the nickname for them but actually a sweet, round almond
cookie.

But then you will ask "what's a mop"? Well, it has several meanings in
Dutch:

- a joke

- same word in English for a tool to clean floors

- a large brick

- nickname for girl or women. (imagine that with "putting your teeth into a
Weesper mop")

And
another thing; I
think he’s smart and knows that he will loose booth the dogs and the Cuban gallery if
he “converts” to ISO and
profit maximization models.

Thirty one group shelters to house thirteen soldiers each where constructed during the mobilisation of 1939-1940. They provided
shelter for the men operating the machine guns and canons in the open earth
walls. The earth walls have since disappeared but the shelters and a tank
barrier remain standing. For more information about Weesp try this: http://www.rgaros.nl/weesp/